By Rob Freeman
IT’S the dream of many of us – owning a ski-in ski-out heavily-timbered chalet with a balcony in the Alps. Hot tub on the deck. Spacious en suite bedrooms. Sauna, games room, cinema room, wine cellar, ski room with boot warmers. Piste right outside the door. You know the sort of place I have in mind.
Megeve, France
OK, an apartment then if we’ve got to compromise. Maybe no cinema room. And if not actually ski-in, ski out, then at least fairly close to the lifts. All right then, but not far from the resort, a free ski-bus ride away.
But whatever our budget might stretch to, a wide range of suitable properties in the Alps – especially if they’re not new developments being marketed by the builders’ agents – has not been easy to track down.
Mark Lightfoot aims to change that. He has founded an online property portal, called SnowOnly, that is dedicated solely to ski properties from around the world. His plan, he says, is to make it the Rightmove or Zoopla of the ski world.
SnowOnly founder Mark Lightfoot
His venture starts from a springboard of wide experience in the foreign property market but not up to now in the mountains. Now he’s combining his love of skiing with Alpine property.
“I started my career with a firm of London stockbrokers,” said Mark. “In 2003 I was made redundant and took the opportunity to travel around Asia, New Zealand and Australia, finishing with a season skiing in Chamonix. I’ve always loved being in the mountains and once the season ended, I was determined to work in the ski industry and fortunate enough to find a position with a UK company which sold ski holidays across Europe, US and Canada.
“But a few years later I moved to Asia where, for three years, I worked as a property broker and in 2010 I set up my own real estate agency which I eventually sold last year. The concept of SnowOnly came from my experience of running the agency.
“I believe there’s a market for a specific ski platform. There are so many properties for sale and so many agents spanning thousands of resorts, they all need to widen their search for buyers. I think it’s important to give ski properties more exposure and have an equal playing field for sellers and resorts.
“Importantly we want to create an efficient platform for buyers to search for their ski property instead of trawling through lots of agents and developer sites. We want to simplify the way in which people search for their ski property.
Les Arcs, France
“For example, it’s pretty easy to find a property in Verbier but not everyone can afford Verbier and there are some great alternatives that are cheaper with easy access to the same slopes. We want to bring these smaller resorts – many with skiing linked to or close to bigger name places – to the forefront by giving everyone an equal chance.”
If you’re harbouring dreams of that Alpine hideaway, keep an eye on www.snowonly.com
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